FAQs

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

I’ve enjoyed answering reader questions on our blog since 2007.  Click on any of the questions below– these are the ones that seem to be on a lot of bakers’ minds.  If you’re having a problem with one of the recipes, breeze through these FAQs first. If you can’t find an answer there, click on any “Comments” field adjoining a “post” here on the website (doesn’t have to be related to the content underneath). Tell me which book you’re working from, and which recipe and page number, and ask your question. I’ll answer, right under your question (or maybe a few below), within a day or so. Please understand that I can’t write back directly to you–there’ve been tens of thousands of questions here on the site, and I want other readers to benefit from the conversation. 

And please understand that my publisher would disown me if I put all our full-detail recipes here on the website or in the comment responses. This site is mainly a way of reaching out to readers, and supporting them as they work on recipes that appear in the published books.

If the list of FAQs below doesn’t get you the answer you need, try the Search Bar. On the Home Page, it’s right over the picture of the bread. In narrower displays, it sometimes appears right underneath the orange BreadIn5 logo. Type in the bread style, ingredient, or technique that you’re interested in, and the search engine will show you all the similar posts I’ve ever done on it, with recipes and answers to many questions.    –Jeff

  1. BreadIn5.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, BreadIn5 LLC earns an affiliate commission.
  2. Comments policies: I posted a comment to this site but it hasn’t appeared. What happened? Can I put up links to other sites?
  3. Contest and Giveaway Rules
  4. Convection oven: Any adjustment needed?
  5. Dense or gummy crumb: What am I doing wrong?
  6. Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?
  7. Freezing the dough: Can I do it?
  8. Fresh-ground grains: can I use them with this method?
  9. Gluten-Free Frequently Asked Questions (GF FAQs)
  10. Gray color on my dough: Is there something wrong? Is it mold?
  11. High-altitude baking: How do I adjust the recipes for high-altitude?
  12. Incorporating dried fruit, nuts, or herbs into stored dough: How do I do it?
  13. Larger loaves/multiple loaves: What adjustments are needed?
  14. Left the dough on the counter overnight! Can I still use it?
  15. The scoop-and-sweep method for measuring flour by volume: How it was done when testing these recipes
  16. Missing instructions and missing recipes: Some of the web-based recipes don’t have everything I need to make the bread, and others are missing from the website altogether
  17. Nutrition content: How can I calculate it?
  18. Photographs: Can I post pictures to this website?
  19. Privacy Policy
  20. Refrigerator rise trick: The formed loaves or rolls rise overnight and are ready for the oven the next day
  21. Rising: My shaped loaves don’t seem to rise much before it’s time for the oven.  What am I doing wrong?
  22. Salt: Can I decrease the amount of salt in the recipes?  How do I adjust for different kinds of salt?
  23. Sourdough starter: Can I use it with this method?
  24. Steam alternatives: How do I create a steam environment for a great crust when my oven doesn’t trap steam well?
  25. Stone broke! What did I do wrong?
  26. Storing bread: What’s the best way to do it?
  27. Traditional recipes: How can they be converted to the ABin5 method?
  28. Underbaked! My loaf didn’t bake through to the center.  What am I doing wrong?
  29. Web or other uses: Can I use your recipes on my own website, in my class, or in a publication?
  30. Weighing ingredients instead of using cup measures: How do you do it?
  31. Whole grain flours and vital wheat gluten: How do you use them?
  32. Whole grain flours and doughs without vital wheat gluten: How do those work?
  33. Yeast: Can it be decreased in the recipes?
  34. Health questions posted here over the years

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3,917 thoughts to “FAQs”

    1. Went to Smart and Final today because someone told me they carried Caramel Color. Well, they didn’t have the powdered kind but they did have a liquid labeled “Caramel Color”. I didn’t get it because it said it was for coloring root beer and cola. Would this work? If so, how much? If you don’t think this should be used I will make my own from Page 125 in the new book. I know KA has it but it would be almost 15.00 with shipping. I did pick up 2 pounds of Red Star yeast for 4.79 so it wasn’t a wasted trip.
      I am having so much fun trying all the bread recipes. Problem is I can’t stop eating it and will soon look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

      1. Hi Barbara,

        If it is a liquid caramel color it will probably behave just like the one in our recipe and can be used in the same amounts. It may be worth a try if it’s not too expensive.

        Thanks, Zoë

    2. I love the master recipe for bread! I was wondering if I could bake this in individual mini cast iron 6 inch skillets for individual portions. Could you tell me what the baking time for this would be?

      Thank you,

      Danielle

      1. Hi Danielle,

        You would probably use 4 to 6 ounce portions, so the baking time would be about 20 to 25 minutes.

        Thanks, Zoë

    3. “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”

      I am a river rafter and cook in dutch ovens with charcoal all the time outside.

      am good on cakes and cobblers, want to try my hand on bread.

      Got your book and like it

      My question is you talk about baking on a stone in a oven with a cup of water for steam. Would your recipe work ok in a Dutch Oven? I can do the temps what ever is recommended. Just wonder if the lack of a stone and can of water will give me decent results?

      Having some issues with my browser attempting to get in touch – hope this is ok.

      Thanks Dave

      1. Sure, see our Dutch oven recipe in the new version of the book, or here on the website (just type Dutch Oven) into the search bar above. You don’t need the water with the dutch oven…

  1. You tube showed a 4 strand round challah done nothing like a regular braid. It starts as a tic tac toe set up with one over and one under

      1. Each braid is done differently. Three braid is done like a girl’s hair. You are absolutely right . . . a braid is like tic-tac-toe. In Jewish ritual, they all have a significance. I belong to a Reform temple that is long on social action and short on ritual, so I honestly could not tell you the difference between the 2 approaches, but they are symbolically different, just as the spiral one is.

  2. Have been making the pizza dough for a long time and it is the best ever. I am reluctant to tamper with it but, I have been given a bag of imported “tipo 00” flour from Italy. Can/should I use this instead of AP and how will it change the result?

  3. I am making three loaves of the Crusty White Bread and am wondering if I should bake them all at the same time or not. What is your recommendation for the amount of loaves you bake at one time in a case like this?

    1. Hi Marilyn,

      As long as they have plenty of room to rise, you can bake as many as will fit. They may require a few extra minutes in the oven to get the desired color.

      Thanks, Zoë

  4. Any recommondations on where to purchase clear bread bags and twist ties to package 1 lb. round loaves of bread? Would like to bake some loaves to donate for Relay for Life bake sale.

  5. I just made my first loaves of the Healthy Bread Master Recipe. Its absolutely delicious but the crust came out thin and relative soft, not thick and chewy like the Master Recipe, Deli Rye, and Peasant Bread that I’d already tried and loved. There was no crackling of the crust at all.

    Its not as soft as grocery store sandwich wheat, but its not what I was expecting. What’s up?

  6. I’d like to add oat bran to the oat flour bread recipe but am not sure how to do it. Is it possible? If so, what do I do?

  7. I have all of your books and I’m trying to figure out the best recipe for hamburger rolls. You recommend either enriched breads or whole wheat sandwich bread in the “Healthy Bread”
    book. At the moment. we’re snowed in and I’m low on eggs. Can I use the bran enriched bread or light whole wheat recipe in the original “Artisan in Five” book as a substitute?
    Thanks for your help!

    1. Hi Annette,

      Yes, you can really make them with any of the doughs. I just suggested those because my kids are partial to a softer bun. 😉

      Good luck with all the snow! Zoë

  8. I’m a new NABin5 enthusiastic practitioner. Can I use a partially glazed clay Italian casserole baker? The bottom and the under rim are NOT glazed and will probably tolerate preheating. It is Terra D’Umbria brand typically used for braising techniques. It a long oval shape and I think it would make a lovely larger loaf. There is even a wheat shaft incised on the lid!

  9. I’m having an issue with my rye doughs, both the Deli Rye from the original book and the Whole Grain Rye from the Healthy Bread book. They are significantly wetter than the other doughs I’ve tried — the Master Recipes from both of those books, the Challah, the Peasant Bread, and the Olive Oil Dough.

    Because of the stickyness I’m having trouble with the gluten cloaking and shaping, which is probably made worse because I’m making 2lb ovals because I have 6 people in my household. I end up with my fingers firmly glued to the big, double-handful of dough and then I get a lot of side-spread that I’m not seeing in the other doughs.

    No problems with the baking — I worked out the timing for the 2lb oval without any issues.

    I’m using Hodgson Mills rye flour. Any reason I shouldn’t bump the weight of the rye flour up an ounce or so?

      1. Thank you for the link to the video.

        I’ll try more flour in the next batch and see what happens. I almost have to believe that its the flour since its happened in two different recipes.

        The taste of the whole grain rye recipe is EXACTLY what we, while growing up in Pittsburgh, thought of as “hearty rye”.

      2. Hi M.B.

        I am glad that the taste is there, but I’m sure we can figure out the wet dough too.

        Cheers, Zoë

      3. The texture of the Whole Grain Rye dough is perfect at 12oz Gold Medal whole wheat, 13oz of Hodgson Mills Rye, and 12oz grocery store brand bleached white flour.

        First loaf is ready for the oven. It handled beautifully and is rising up instead of sideways just like it should.

      4. Hi M.B.

        Glad the dough worked out!

        Any bread with whole grains is not going to be as crusty as those made with white flour. The oils and germ in the whole wheat will soften the crust.

        Thanks, Zoë

        Enjoy, Zoë

  10. Hi MB
    I’m also from Pittsburgh and I too live the rye bread. I’m using King Arthur’s flour and not having any trouble. I’m no expert, like our authors but I just wanted to share my experience.
    From one ‘”burgher to another”

    1. I used to be able to get King Arthur Rye when I lived in Massachusetts but here in the NC Sandhills its not available.

      I’ve lived up and down the east coast and have noticed a lot of regional variations in certain grocery products. If I move more than 200 miles I’ll find some recipes need to be tweaked because certain items won’t be available.

  11. When I have difficulty finding ingredients, I order directly from KA. I’ve been making so much bread that I ordered 25 pounds of flour as well as caramel color which is needed in the pumpernickel

  12. One question: Why do you dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour, when you take the dough out of the refrigerated container?
    Thanks!
    Chris

    1. Hi Chris,

      We dust the surface of the dough to make it easier to handle. Our dough tends to be very wet and dusting the surface prevents it from sticking to your hands.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Thanks for the quick reply, Zoe. But, still a bit confused…so I take what you said to mean that you dust the entire surface of the dough in the container…not just the top of the chunk you are going to take out? (I’m just wondering, if there is some flour on the dough left behind, won’t it get glumped-up? You didn’t say to mix it in.)
        Sorry I’m having trouble picturing what you said!
        Thanks! Chris

  13. Can you use non-alcoholic instead of alcoholic (i.e. O’Doule’s) beer in recipes such as the Emmer bread recipe from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day?

  14. I am having so much fun with your breads. I have made the basic bread, light whole wheat and Pumpernickle. All have been delicious. Question: I know I need to let the bread rest and cool for a couple of hours after it is baked but how do I reheat it for serving hot to guests? I was thinking of slicing it and tying it up somehow and placing in a hot oven. I want to maintain the crispy crust but want the custard to remain soft. Thank you in advance for your response.

    1. Hi Barbara,

      The reason you let the bread cool before eating is to allow the steam to release from the loaf. If you let it cool and then reheat it, you will have let some of the steam release, but a bit more will be created by heating it again. No matter, if you want to eat warm bread, by all means reheat it for about 5 to 10 minutes and enjoy! I’d cut it after or the inside may dry out.

      Cheers, Zoë

  15. I read a yummy recipe in Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day that called for baking with vinegar and beer. We keep non-alcoholic beer on hand for personal reasons. Will that also work?

  16. Oops! Please notify me of follow-up comments by email. Thank you.
    (To this post: “I read a yummy recipe in Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day that called for baking with vinegar and beer. We keep non-alcoholic beer on hand for personal reasons. Will that also work?”)

  17. Hi Zoe and Jeff. A technique question for you, please: when making ropes for challah or stretching bread for baguettes, I begin with a nice smoothly cloaked ball but after stretching, I end up with a bumpy and uneven length of dough. This happens even if I wait for it to relax and try to work very gently. I have noticed this unsmooth result in other users’ pics, too. Can you explain (or better yet make a video!? 🙂 ) to teach the proper way to retain a gluten cloak when stretching, and how to have beautifully smooth results like we see in your pics? Thanks!

  18. If I make up a half batch of a bread dough
    recipe, do I still need to have a 2 hour rise before refrigerating? Thank you!

    1. Hi Colleen,

      Yes, that is the time it takes the yeast to do its magic, doesn’t matter what size the batch.

      Thanks, Zoë

  19. With all of the information about bread at certain convenience restaurants containing chemicals like azodicarbonamide, I’d like to make my own bread rolls to make sub sandwhiches. I have your book, and have found much success in the recipes. I’m looking for a bread recipe that will allow me to make sub/hoagie type sandwhiches. Please help! Thanks!

  20. Hi! I found your basic recipe on the Gold Medal bag and I have been working on making a loaf of it, trouble shooting and improving with each attempt. Questions: How do I know the thermometer I bought is reliable? Why is the bread rising a lot but the crumb is too fine, like maybe that of a bakery rye bread? Should I do that shaping thing for longer? (Thermometer says my oven is 35 degrees under!)

    1. Hi Lauren,

      So glad you’ve tried the recipe. You can let the loaf rest longer to try to get a more open crumb in your bread. I would adjust the oven to compensate for the lower temperature. If you are using a baking stone, try letting it preheat a bit longer, that heat will help the oven spring.

      Cheers, Zoë

  21. Hi! I am a big fan of your gluten free “Almost Rye” Teff bread(sent photo a while back). I make it often and LOVE it. I have to try to avoid wheat, but I am LONGING to make your Vollkornbrot (p.83 great story in Healthy Bread in 5). I know I have to use the whole wheat flour, but could I sub some of it with rye flour? And in lieu of wheat berries, could I use just cracked rye? I have two bags of cracked rye from Bob’s Red Mill:
    https://www.bobsredmill.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1
    I know I will have to improvise on the amount of water. (I’m brave!) Should the dough be about as wet as your typical master recipe is (p. 53)? I know it will take a while for the grain to absorb water so I’m thinking of soaking the cracked rye for a while beforehand. Also will plan to let the dough develop in the fridge for at least 5 days.
    Thanks!
    Lynnea

    1. Hi Lynnea,

      As you start your experiment you should know that rye has much less gluten developing protein in it than whole wheat, so it will make a much wetter dough. You’ll need to decrease the water. If you soak the cracked rye first, this too will mean you’ll want to decrease the water.

      Thanks and let me know how it goes.

      Zoë

      1. Thanks for the quick response, Zoë! I figured by soaking the cracked rye first, I’d have a better idea of the wetness of the dough as I start out improvising, since it already will have taken up what H2O it “needs/wants.” Also, due to rye lacking enough gluten, I thought I might increase the added gluten to 5T (?) Will let you know how it goes! Mixing up My Experiment today as well as a batch of “Almost Rye” Teff 🙂

  22. When I bake my last loaf of bread dough using the Master Recipe and the age of the dough is less than 14 days. I sometimes notice some slightly dark spots in the bread crumb after the bread is baked. The dough looks fine when I form the loaves. What are the darks spots that I am seeing?

    1. Hi Colleen,

      The dough’s surface may darken a bit while it is storing, especially toward the end of the 14 days. It is totally normal, just part of the fermentation process in the dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

  23. I asked you a question about sprinkling flour on the dough before taking out a chunk of it. But, I just watched a video and saw how it was done and why, so never mind my question, as got the answer! Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make my master batch today!
    Sincerely, Chris

  24. HELP! I have Hobbit bread! I made a bitard. I measured out exactly a pound. I let it proof for 40 minutes. It was really small, but I figured . . . it’d raise more in the oven. No such luck. It tasted FABULOUS. Problem? It was slightly larger than a roll (about 4 inches across). It was also kind of dense. I have a theory. My wife and I keep it cool in the house. It’s 66 degrees, though I proofed on the pre-heating stove. What are your thoughts? Could it be that the house was just a bit too cool to proof adequately?

      1. I really think resting time IS the problem. Not that concerned about the shape as much as how small it was. The ones I get at my local bakery are about a foot in length. Next time out, I think I’ll use 2lbs and let it proof for at least an hour. Big thanks as always and, size aside, the taste was amazing!

      2. Since my hot-blooded wife was at work today, I jacked up the heat in my house to 70, and I got a bit better proofing on my bitard. Still not really bitard shape, more like a deformed slug. I proofed my rye in the 70 degree, and though the boule shape turned out perfect, it was still only like, maybe, 6 inches in diameter. Thoughts?

  25. Hi, I have a stupid question…
    I usually make whole recipe from any book of yours, but today is the first time that
    I was making a half recipe.
    The recipe is American-style Pizza dough from Pizza book.
    When I was counting how many cups putting flour, I got distracted by my own kids. I thought I counted right, but I can tell the dough was totally tougher than usual (we have pizza night on every Friday, so I know how it looks supposed to be)…

    I think what I did is, everything a half amount, but the flour is 1 cup more than the half. (4 1/2 cups instead of 3 1/2 cups)
    Then, I put more milk. I thought I did right calculation but I don’t think so… because at the end I realized I put nearly as same as a full recipe amount of milk…

    Here is my question…
    Should I keep this dough and see if it’s edible? What should I expect if it’s too much liquid?

    Thank you for your time
    Remi

    1. Hi Remi,

      You may just have to add more flour until it looks like the recipe normally does. It sounds like you’ll end up with a full batch. You can always freeze what you don’t use.

      Enjoy, Zoë

      1. Thanks, Zoe!! I actually couldn’t add any flour after all… because it was after 2 hours… However, I added some flour when I was prepping pizza. Crust turned out just fine!! It was thin and no chewy texture, but taste was just fine to eat!! We love the chewy texture so, I won’t repeat again though 😉

  26. Are there any differences when using bleached white flour instead of unbleached? I know that in the book you said that you prefer not to use to to avoid the additional chemicals, but outside of that and the color, would there be any difference in the final product? Would any adjustments need to be made?

    Thanks!

  27. Hi Jeff/Zoe,

    I just made the Pita Bread from The New Artisan Bread in Five Mins. a Day. I used the Master Recipe, weighed out 5 oz. balls. They all puffed up beautifully and are delicious. They are perfect for stuffing and using with Hummus. Thank you again for another great recipe.

    Have a wonderful week-end and thanks for all the help you give.

    Dee

  28. Could you tell me which of your whole wheat recipes is the crustiest?

    We’re loving the Healthy Bread Master Recipe as a sandwich loaf, but I’d like something crustier for just eating.

    1. I think you missed seeing this one. I’m still hoping to get the crustiest possible wheat-bread loaf.

      1. Sorry! Whole wheat has a natural oil, deriving from the wheat’s “germ,” that actually prevents the crust from crisping. So unfortunately, the crustiest whole wheat loaf is the one that contains the least whole grain. But you’ll get more crust effect if you don’t use a bread pan. Baguette-shape is #1 for crust effect, less so in the boule-shape.

      2. Thank you.

        Now that I’m familiar with the correct moisture levels and the correct handle of the dough I’ll play with the proportions of the flour to see what we like best.

  29. Hi! My family is trying to go gluten free so I picked up the latest copy of your book (The NEW Artisan Bread in 5 a day – October 2013 edition) because of the new gluten free section. I’m having trouble with the master GF recipe.

    I’ve tried it a couple of times both with the eggs and with the flax substitute for the eggs. The outer crust always comes out great but the center is always very very gummy. It’s almost like the consistency of mashed potatoes. I’ve even tried baking it way longer than the directions call for. I also tried the modified version to make sandwich bread and got the same result. Any suggestions? I’ve carefully gone through the directions each time and I’m fairly certain I’m not missing anything. I’ve watched the youtube video as well and everything looks right…

    My wife has been asking around and seems to think that using potato flour is a mistake but your book is very clear that it needs to be potato FLOUR and not potato STARCH, correct? Any help you can provide would be really appreciated.

      1. Thanks, I’ll check out the other recipe. Any ideas what’s going wrong with the recipe from the book, though? Nothing I do gets the center to bake to a reasonable degree. I’ve even baked a sheet of the dough about 1/4″ thick (trying to make a flatbread/cracker kind of deal) and the tiny space between the two crusts is still somewhat gooey. I’ll take any suggestions.

      2. We’re working on it! Please check back in a few weeks. Meanwhile, did you have any luck with the other recipe?

      3. I haven’t had a chance to pick up the sorghum flour yet but I’ll let you know once I can give it a whirl!

      4. Note that there’s now an update to that recipe. Please click on the “Corrections” tab above, then choose “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (2013).” You can update your book from there. Note that there’s another correction coming for the Gluten-Free Brioche, so hold off on making that.

      5. David, I’m so curious– how did you know I’d just entered this? Are you on our RSS feed? If so, it’s working better than I’d imagined!

      6. Unfortunately I can’t confirm or deny your RSS feed functionality. I just checked “notify me of follow-up comments by email” so your update popped in my inbox. That feature definitely works like a charm 🙂

        I just ordered (finally) sorghum flour and I’ll try out the updated recipe sometime next week and report the results.

      7. Of course, forgot that we had that, thanks! And thanks for your patience about the recipe…

      8. Jeff, I got my sorghum flour and tried another batch adding the 1 1/4 cup of that and using the egg substitute suggestion. The bread rose better during the baking but it’s still too gummy inside, even after baking for an extra ~30 minutes. I’ll have to give it another whirl with less water. If I can get it figured out, I’ll let you know.

      9. Real egg sucks up extra water like a sponge– you may just not be wild about this stuff with the egg substitute– it’s a substitute, but not a perfect one.

        I’m hoping you’re not allergic to eggs…

  30. I want to make the Deli Rye for St. Pat’s from your terrific New AB in 5. How long before hand can I bake the bread and how to I wrap it once it is baked?

    1. Once you wrap it, the crust will soften (but you’ll delay stale-ing). Let it cool completely (2 hours), and then it can go in plastic or aluminum foil. An alternative to wrapping that I prefer if you’ll use it soon is an ordinary paper bag, which breathes a bit.

    1. We don’t really have a mechanism for that, sorry. If you happen to be near a bookstore where we’ve recently done a signing (Barnes and Noble, 4005 Townsfair Way Columbus, OH 43219), and they still have some signed ones left, that works (call first). Some of the B+Ns in the Minneapolis may have some too. Unfortunately we don’t do a lot of bookstore signings around the country anymore.

  31. ​Hi Zoë,
    Here’s a report on my “Vollkornbrot Experiment” from p. 83 of HB in 5. You’ll recall I wanted to use cracked rye in lieu of wheat berries. This is probably TMI/too much information, but I kept a log of what I did…and surely you don’t have to post all this if you don’t want to!

    1 c./128 g. KAF “Medium Rye”
    2 c./282 g. Bob’s Red Mill organic Graham Flour
    2 c./264 g. KAF Whole Wheat Flour
    1 1/2 c. Bob’s Red Mill organic Cracked Rye
    1 1/2 T. Instant yeast (Saf-Instant from KAF)
    1 T. Kosher salt
    5 T. Bob’s Red Mill Wheat gluten
    2 T. Molasses

    Soaked the cracked rye in 2 c. water for 2 hr. It soaked up most of the water. Because I used some graham (coarsely ground whole wheat), I figured I’d go ahead and use ALL the water that the recipe called for. Even so I think I could have used a bit more water? as the dough was not all that “wet.” The dough developed 7 days in the fridge. I forgot to weigh the dough before baking, but the loaf weighed 878 g. / 1 lb. 15 oz after baking. Baked per instructions with steam at 450F about 55 min to internal insta-read temp of 200F. It was delicious! I love rye (thus the experiment with cracked rye in lieu of wheat berries) and did this to avoid a bit of wheat (I usually bake gluten free), which is dumb really as of course, I used even more gluten than called for. Enjoyed a few slices and then sooo good toasted with butter. The rest went to my Mom! Will be anxious to get her opinion. My own critique: Maybe I would add another T of molasses to balance the rye (although I do not like bread sweet at all). Thank you so much for all your guidance to us! Here are three photos that I uploaded to Picasa web album: (hope the link works…)

    https://picasaweb.google.com/northwindranch/VollkornbrotExperiment2014?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6T7qTMlYWhzAE&feat=email

    Lynnea
    P. S. I baked gluten free “Almost Rye” teff bread the same day as that dough had been in the fridge 7 days as well.

    1. Sure, why not post? Someone else might try this, and it sounds like it came out great. The pictures look great. Fantastic that something with this much whole grain did so well with a 7-day storage.

  32. I’ve been baking the master recipe from the latest book, and the healthy book, but my breads never rise properly in the oven. I can’t seem to find an answer to this, am I the only one having this problem? The initial dough rise looks fine, and the shaped breads expand sideways while resting, which should be fine, I always get a nice crust and fully cooked interior, the taste is great, but there’s barely any oven spring. It was particularly bad with the baguette shape, it’s almost like a flat baguette. What could be the problem?

    1. So the hole structure is good, but you’re getting sideways expansion instead of upward expansion. Any chance you’re using a low-protein flour like White Lily? Those don’t have as much gluten and don’t create structure. Check you technique against these videos too:

      Gluten-cloaking/shaping: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/03/08/new-video-shaping-the-ball-from-a-very-wet-dough
      The Scoop-And-Sweep Technique: https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/04/28/how-we-measure-our-flour-using-the-scoop-and-sweep-method

      Measurement may be off. Check all that and let us know if something seemed to help…

  33. I’ve tried the master recipe a couple of times. I get great rise and it smells wonderful. However, the next day I have a pool of water on the bottom of the container and VERY gooey dough. What am I doing wrong?

    1. Which Master recipe, from which book? What flour brands are you using?

      Does the “gooey” dough work? What are the breads like the ones you make on days 2 through 14, let’s say? The appearance of the dough itself isn’t the issue, it’s the result. If there’s excess water, you can pour it off and use the dough, just dust with lots of flour (let most of it fall off).

    2. I get the same problem.

      I’ve figured out that adding an extra 1/2 a cup of all purpose flour solves the problem for the basic white bread recipe.

      But the last batch did it again. I was experimenting a bit, so I substitute 1 cup of Teff flour for 1 cup all-purpose. And now there is quite a bit of water/slurry at the bottom of my container again.

      So I’m still messing around with it. It does take a bit more flour to form a loaf, since some of the dough I pull out is a bit soggy. I’ve also been adding more flour to the bucket and gently stirring it in to absorb the excess before putting the rest back in the fridge. Doesn’t seem to cause any problems with the later loafs.

      Hope this helps!

      1. Agree Janet– haven’t tried the teff, but you can deal with this by adding back some flour to compensate for the liquid (also can pour it off).

  34. I measure all of my ingredients by weight and using the numbers on your blog (140g-white flour, 130g-whole wheat, 225g-water) but I always end up with only 3.5lbs of dough for the light whole wheat recipe. Should I just divide the dough by 4 equally, or make 3 loaves and a dinner roll? Am I doing something wrong?

    1. No, nothing wrong. We rounded our numbers, so yes, that recipe yields four loaves about 0.9-pounds each– so they’re close to one-pounders, but not quite.

      I’d just divide the dough equally. Another way would be to scale up slightly, using 1000 grams of flour total (140 grams white and 860 grams of all-purpose, or 150 and 850), plus 750 grams of water. You can increase the yeast and salt proportionally (or not).

  35. Hi J&Z, I have some WW and some White Olive oil dough left over in the fridge. Can I mix them together and bake as usual? Anything to watch out for?
    If I made separate ropes of WW and Regular, and braided them, would they result in an unevenly baked challah?
    Thanks for all yor help! ;-D

    1. I’ve done things exactly like this, and it works beautifully, in particular when both doughs can tolerate the same temp, which is the case here. If either dough is sweetened (like a half-cup honey per batch), then bake at the lower temp that was called for in that dough. Otherwise, the sweet dough will scorch. Same for eggs.

  36. Hello!

    I have your book _Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day_ and love it!

    My husband brews beer at home and saves the grains for me to make bread with. In my usual recipe (not your method), I use 6 oz of spent grain. Do you have any suggestions on how I could incorporate this into your master recipe?

    Thanks!

    1. I’m assuming the spent grain is hulled. Given that, I’d guess you could use about a half cup to maybe a cup per four-pound batch. Actually, you could use the same proportion as you use in yours, whatever amount of dough that was, just calculate to ours. I’m sure it’ll work the same way.

      1. Thanks! Do I need to make any adjustments to the other ingredients in the master recipe if I do this?

      2. You may need to adjust the water level, or add some more flour. No way for me to tell you though; you’re going to have to experiment. Start with smaller amounts of spent grain and adjust from there to keep the dough looking the same.

  37. I believe that you said that White Lily flour cannot be used in your bread methods. But what about White Lily Bread flour?

    1. Actually, that should be fine. If it’s really high-protein, you might need the adjustment under the FAQ titled “Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?”

    1. Yes, see how that goes. Any chance you’re using White Lily brand or other Southern U.S. regional brand of flour? Those have less protein and absorb less water. Click on the FAQ called “Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?”

      1. Thank you Jeff.If I am making the white Master Recipe, would I substitute all or part of the water with beer?

  38. I made the American pizza crust recipe this morning and forgot to cover it. I am out now and by the time I get back it will be about 3 hours. Will the dough still be okay? Thanks!

    1. May be a bit dry on the top, but should be able to incorporate the dry bits anyway, wouldn’t worry about it.

  39. I use your recipes from your latest book weekly at least as we live on a tiny Caribbean Island where food is shipped in once a week. I am converting the island to your bread method and have lent out my book-DISASTER-I can’t recall the exact measurements (using weights) and can’t find it on your site (I’m sure I saw it there before I bought the book!). I have tried other sites versions but they are WAY out. Could you please tell me the measures in weights?

    1. Join the RSS feed– click on the square orange icon with the white design inside. It’s just above the YouTube icon on the left side of the website. Then follow the directions.

  40. I tried. It doesn’t seem to work for me as I don’t have any of the options that they show for the feed. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to check on a regular basis! Thank you!

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